Method and apparatus for making wheels



July s. 1192-1.r

H. H. WILLIAMS IETHOD AND vAFFAYUTS FOR MAKING WHEELS Filed Aug. 27. 192s l 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 5 1927 I H. H. WILLIAMS V METHOD AND APPRATUS FOR MAKING WHEELS Filed Auz. 27. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 w 1' r g JP /9 5 -vb g F L- V 5 lx J L vwafntoz @maf/W15. Wh MMS.

"y, 5 H. H. WILLIAMS us'rnon Aun APPARATUS Pon MAKING WHEELS rma Aug. 2v. 192e 4 sheets-sheet 5 y nmamtoz. y fsHBEHr/f MUA/15.

aff/tome@ July 1927' H. H. WILLIAMS 1'634700 y IIETHOB AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WHEEL n Filed Aug, 27. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m x 36 3 J7 auvents@ SRBEHTH MLL/A/ms.

y of joint UNITED STATES PATENT ,OFFICE- vHERBERT H. WILLILIVS, F BBQOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB .T0 THOIAB IUBBAY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

'man um APPARATUS iron name wrriiiiLs.

lapplicatie ma iugm a7, 192e. serial so. 131,835.

vMy invention aims to provide certain provements in the .production of wheels with wire or rod Spokes.

vThe accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of. the invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and v'a vertical section of a 'spoke wheel; Y

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate one type of welded joint between the rim and a spoke; Fig. 3 being a lan and Fig. 4a section of the joint and ig. a section before weld- 6, 7 and 8 illustrate another type Lof .'oint; Fig. 6 beingl a plan of the rim; F1g. l a cross-section before weldin and Fig. 8 a longitudinal section after we din i Figs. 9, and 11 illustrate anot er style Figs. 9 and 10 being an underside lan an asection of the finished joint and i 11a section before completion; Fi 12, 13 and 14 are similar views of ano er style of joint; l

. Fig. is a plan of one group of spokes assembled in a jig preplaratory to welding;

Fig. 16 is a section t of the jig Fig. 1 is a plan'of another type of jig 'I used for the radial spokes;

:so y

views in the successive stages of the welding Figs. is, i9 and so are radial sectional operations.

Referring -to the embodiments of the invention illustrated, the wheel has 'a rim 1 and a hub 2 between which are two sets of spokes 3 and 4 which are tan ential and `radial res at one si e and the radial spokes 4 at the other. But the particular direction of the wires or spokes. is not important to this inventioii.

The ends of the s okes are welded to the l rim and to the hub y pressure in the axial direction, preferably using the method of the Murray Reissue Patent No. 15,466 of October 10, 1922, in which the parts are pressed together and a current' of extremely a single operation or for welding the joints in various grou s successively.

As shown in 3, 4 and 5,

`on the typical wire or rod rough a spring clip tively; the tangential spokes 3v the rim 1 has a ange 5 in a plane transverse to the axis,

and theend of the spoke is formed with a lateral projection 6 which is ressed down ange and welded as indicated at 7. According to Figs. 6, 7 andv 8 the liange 5 is formed with tapered notches 8 and the end 9 of the spoke is tapered and forced down into the notch 8 while the weldin current 1s passed, making a joint as in ig. 8.

Accordin to Figs. 9, 10 and 11 the flange 5 is forme with a circular hole in it and 65 the spoke 3 has a lateral pin 10 which projects throu h the hole and is upset or riveted in the we l ing operation as indicated at 11.

According to Figs. 12, 13 and 14 the spoke 3 is provided with a laterally rejecting end 12 which fits partially into a ole 13 in the flange 5 and in thewelding operation the parts are welded and also swaged together to bring the end of the spoke to the shape shown at 14. A

Various otherl styles of welded 'oint may be provided by properly shaping tile ends of the spokes'and the flanges on the rim and hub.,v While it is not essential in all cases, yet, it is preferable to designthe joint so that the parts are pressed to ther in the axial direction as hereinafter escribed. 0 The. spokes and other parts are carried in jigs which hold them in proper relative position durm the welding operation.

Fig. 15 ows the shape of jig for the tangential spokes. Apair of rings 15 and 16,v which may ybe (parte of a single structure, cari'y-upwarr ly 1projecting clips 17 shown se ately in ig. 16, with arms which spring inward and clam the spokes 3. The arms are bent inwar to provide vstops 18 which limit the penetration of the spokes into the clips. These cli s, of course,

release the spokes when the wel ing has been gerforme'd andthe jigs' are to be removed.

trodes will-bge'litted to'whatever arrangespokes may be desired. A 4't lower electrode 21 is shown U0 ment of the In Fig. 18 e los der or abutment 23 which bears under a flange 24 on the wheel hub and has a similar shoulder 25 which bears under the flange 5 'of the wheel rim and which ts within the rim so as to accurately center the latter. The shoulder 23' also is slightly concaved so as to lit within and centre the ange 24 of the hub. The fiange 24 of the hub is arranged with successive parts in different planes where the inner ends of the spokes are to be welded in order to allow for the crossing of the spokes in the tangential arran ement; the operative faces of the electro es being correspondingly step ed. If this set of spokes were radial the ange 24 would be in a single plane around its circum- 2Q ference and the electrode correspondingly sha ed.

T e upper electrode 26 has inner and outer projecting annular portions 27 and 28 res ectively which bear on the spokesy near their ends and transmit the current thereto. The jig 22 is located on the lower electrode by means of pins 29 registering with holes in the underside of the jig. The parts are located in the position of Fig. 18. The application of pressure and current then results in a uick welding of the ent-ire set of spokes atCboth ends.

The second set of spokes 4 are welded as in Fig. 19 by pressing the rim and hub downward against the spokes. A lower electrode 30 carries a jig 31 with s ring clips 17 which locate the spokes with t eir ends resting on shoulders 32 and 33 of the electrode. The partially welded wheel is then placed on the lower electrode with the flange 34 of the hub resting on the inner end of the spokes and the top electrode is brought into position as in Fig. 19.

The first set of spokes 3 are welded in a nearly horizontal position, that is, with their outer ends `nearly on the same transverse plane as their inner ends. After these spokes have been welded, they will hold the rim 1 up above the outer ends of the rods 4 as shown in Fig. 19. j

In the welding of the outer ends, the rim 1 will have to be pressed downward. The upper electrode 35 has a projection 36 which bears against the fiange 5 of the rim and has projections 37 and 38 which in the initial position stand clear of the flanges 24 and 34 of the hub. When the pressure is applied the part 36 forces the flange 5 of the rim into contact with the outer ends of the spokes and brings shoulders 37. and 38 into contact with flanges 24 and 34 respectively. The current passes lin the usual way, the pressure is continued and welds are effected simultaneously upon both ends of all of the spokes of the set, Fig. 20.

one side to a hub The pressing down of the outer ends of the first set of s okes 3, while their inner ends are held in their original plane, has the effect of puttin the spokes 3 under tension during the wel ing operation, since the rim, of course, cannot yield inwardly. Upon releasing the wheel by raising the upper electrode, the tension of the first welded group of spokes tends to restore the rim to its original transverse plane and thus puts a tension on the second welded group of spokes; equalizing the tension in the two sets of spokes.

Various modifications of the embodiment of the invent-ion described may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In the manufacture ofa spoked wheel, the method which consists in assembling a plurality of s okes in proper relative positions and hol 'ng them so by means sepay rate from the hub and rim applying them a and welding thus assembled to a hub and rim them to the hub and rim.

2. In the manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in welding simultaneously to a hub and rim the entire Set of spokes at one side of the wheel and welding all the spokes of another set simultaneously to the opposite side of the hub and rim.

3. In the manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in spokes thereof to the hub and to the rim simultaneously.

4. In theA manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in weldin a set of spokes at one side and putting said first welded set of spokes in a'state of tension while welding a second set at the other Side.

5. In the manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in providing lateral projections on the ends of the spokes and welding them by pressure and current through said projections to transverse shoulders of the adjacent part of the wheel.

6. In the manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in welding the spokes to the adjacent parts with the passage of current and the application of pressure in an axial direction.

7. In the manufacture of a spoked wheel, the method which consists in welding a first set' of spokes at one side, ressing the hub and rim in opposite axial directions to put said first set of spokes under tension, and welding a second set of spokes at the opposite side so as to hold the first set under tension.

8. An apparatus for the manufacture of a spoked w eel, comprising in combination means for welding a first set of spokes at and rim,'means for efectwelding thel lio 4hub and rim 1nd a set of s ing axial motion of the hub and rim in opposite directions so as to put the first of spokes under tension, and means for Weldlng asecond set ot' siokes to the said hub and rim at the opposite side while holding the first-set under tension.

9. An ap aratus for the manufacture of a spoked wlieel, comprising in combination a pair of electrodes adapted to engage the kes at one side and to weld the latter at t ier ends, and a second set of electrodes adapted to effect a relative axial movement between the hub and the rim so as to put said first set of spokes under tension and, while such tension In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

HERBERT H. WILLIAMS. 

